Growing Apart
by 1eleven1
Summary: A day in the Horde a month or so before Adora leaves. Catra sees Adora is growing taller while she stays the same size... why does it bother her so much? Mild language, mild Catradora.


It was a typical mid-day lunch time in the Horde's Etheria division. The day's nutrition-packed but bland-tasting meal had already been picked clean and each squad was taking a break before their afternoon training. Having taught their classes in the morning, most of the teachers and Horde sergeants were resting themselves and not keeping as sharp of an eye on their students. Which made it a perfect time for a certain squad to go venturing for a second bite to eat.

Everyone knew the nurse had a secret supply of protein and ration bars in stock and that she didn't pay much attention to what happened to them. People rarely went to the infirmary while the doctor was in unless they really had to – usually squad members took care of each other to the best of their ability before turning to Horde urgent care. So often times staff didn't even hang around the care unit (they didn't get paid enough to anyways), leaving it decently unguarded. And now was no exception.

"Y'know, I know Rogelio is the one we're getting the extra rations for, but maybe we should get some for you, too, Kyle," Adora said as their squad slipped into the nurse's office and started their search. "You could probably stand to put on a couple extra pounds."

"Yeah, Kyle, your stomach like... goes inward," Rogelio said, pushing on his comrade's midsection. Kyle pulled away, looking flustered.

"I-I guess I could get some, too," he mumbled. "B-But only if they have the gray ones. The rest don't taste so great..."

"I'll eat whatever they got, I'm starving," Rogelio said, licking his lips. "I ain't picky."

"I just wanna see your files, Ro," Lonnie said, starting to go through some of the drawers. "You really think you've grown an inch since just a few weeks ago?"

"Definitely, maybe more. My hunger pains are only this bad when I'm going through a growth spurt. But how am I supposed to focus when I'm this hungry all the time? They seriously expect me to be able to survive on the same amount of food as Kyle?!"

"Don't worry, big guy. We got you," Adora said, tossing him some extra protein bars from the cabinet. "And here's some gray ones for you, too, Kyle."

Kyle and Rogelio grinned as they caught the bars, quickly stuffing them into their pockets. Lonnie, who was leafing through a long row of papers in one of the cabinets, suddenly found what she was looking for and pulled out her teammate's medical files.

"Let's see, Rogelio, what does your file say about youuu... hmmm… two hundred twenty five pounds and six foot four. That was last month you got measured. All right, get on the scale, let's see how big you are now."

Rogelio happily obliged, ready to prove to them that he was indeed still growing. Lonnie slid the slider across the bar a little bit at a time until it balanced, then leaned in to read the number.

"Two hundred thirty two pounds. So you did gain weight, then. Now let's see how tall you are, shall we?" Rogelio stood up straight as his teammate pulled out the height rod, moving it up as high as it could go. "Okay, drum roll please, everyone, Rogelio's new height is… a whopping six foot five and a half inches! Damn, you really did get bigger! Almost two inches in a month? You're huge, Ro."

"Told you," Rogelio said smuggling, stepping off the scale.

"I'm impressed. How the hell are you still growing? We're technically adults now, aren't we? I guess it's that lizard blood or something. At our next official weigh in I bet you'll be even bigger." Lonnie went back over the cabinet to put Rogelio's files back when suddenly something interesting caught her eye. "Ooo, look what I found! Catra's files! This I gotta see."

"Huh?" Catra, who hadn't wanted to join their ration excursion but somewhat suffered from FOMO and followed them anyways, suddenly spoke up. "What do you want to see _my _files for? I haven't grown an inch or gained more than a few pounds in years. There's nothing interesting in there."

"That's exactly why I want to see it! You've been the same Catra since like, forever. Surely you're hiding something…?"

"Uh, no. Pretty sure I'm not."

"Well, then, you won't mind if I take a peek, will you…?" Lonnie said, slyly whipping out Catra's folder. She flipped through, running her finger down the page… then suddenly gasped.

"Ohhh my god. I did find something!" she exclaimed. "According to your files, Catra, beneath your rough exterior… you're still just a little kitten."

"Uh, what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Catra said, folding her arms and trying to seem nonchalant, but she leaned over apprehensively to try and see what Lonnie could be looking at.

"Check this out. You don't have a single measurement over 31 inches? You're even tinier than I thought! Even Kyle has a bigger butt than you!"

"Wh-wh... I do not!" Kyle sputtered.

"Oh, what do you care, Lonnie?" Catra said, rolling her eyes. "Just cause I'm not a tank like you and Rogelio?"

"That's right! A hundred fifty pounds of pure muscle, baby." Lonnie flexed her bicep, grinning.

"Yeah, Catra, you're only… ninety five pounds?!" Rogelio cackled as he leaned over Lonnie to read her files. "Come over here, let me see if I can bench press you."

"_Don't touch me_!" Catra growled as Rogelio moved in to grab her. "If you're going to lift anyone, lift Kyle! He's a shrimp compared to me!"

"What! H-Hey, don't lift me!"

"Nah, even Kyle's heavier. Hey, maybe I should take one of you in each hand!" Rogelio said with a laugh, clapping Kyle on the shoulder – he crumpled in response.

"Don't worry, Catra," Lonnie jeered, throwing her arm around her – Catra hissed in response. "I'll sneak a couple extra protein bars for you while we're here so you can get your gains. Or should I say, _Kit_-tra?"

"Ha, ha, like I haven't heard that one before," Catra muttered, attempting to shove the other girl away, but Lonnie squeezed her harder and gave her a rough noogie. Catra barred her fangs, still struggling, but couldn't escape – Lonnie really did have a good amount of muscle weight on her. "What the hell, Lonnie?! Quit it already-!"

Adora had been keeping an eye from the sidelines as Catra wriggled hopelessly and Kyle backed away, hoping he wouldn't be the next target. Playful teasing promoted camaraderie and built character, which she supported, but she could see Catra was getting pissed. And the last thing she needed was to give her feline friend another reason to avoid training and the rest of her squad. So she decided to step in.

"Hey, guys, come on! We're not kids anymore. Making fun of someone about their size is just a low blow. If you're gonna make fun of Catra, at least let it be about how much I kicked her butt during training today," Adora said, giving her friend a wink. Catra sighed heavily; Adora to the rescue, again…

Lonnie finally released her grip, shaking her head. "Always playing the white knight, aren't you? But fine. Hey, Catra, way to let Adora kick your ass-"

"Oh, piss off, she kicked yours, too, y'know..." Catra growled, shrugging away from her.

"M-Maybe we should get out of here, guys," Kyle squeaked, "before, uh, someone catches us…"

"What's the matter, Kyle? You scared Shadow Weaver's gonna sneak up on you all quietly again?"

"Uh, yeah, actually I am…"

"Kyle's right, let's split while we still can," Adora said, waving the others on. "Put Catra's file back and let's get going. We've still got a little time left to chill before our next training sesh."

"Great, I've got enough time to digest all these protein bars before then," Rogelio said with a smile as they slipped out the door.

"Y-Yeah, me too!"

"Oh please, Kyle, you can barely manage to finish one."

As they walked down the hallway, Catra noticed their group leader split off from them, Lonnie walking off ahead with the boys. "Hey, where are you going?" Catra called after Adora, following her instead.

"Oh, I just remembered I forgot to pick up my clean clothes for the week from the locker room, wanna come?" Adora asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure. I didn't pick up my clothes yet, either."

"You always procrastinate. Man, I haven't seen you in the locker room in forever. I just assumed you were wearing your same old smelly clothes all this time."

"Ha, ha," Catra said sarcastically, but she felt her heart skip a beat. Yes, she'd been avoiding the locker room, and of course Adora would notice, but she kinda hoped no one would actually think much of it or bring it up…

"I hope they didn't run out of my size again," Adora said as they walked in. "Seems like more people are fitting into the size smalls lately, I had to wear a medium top last week 'cause they didn't have enough and it totally threw me off cause it was so loose."

"It's worse for me when they run out of extra smalls AND smalls. If all they've got left is mediums I might as well wear a garbage bag or something."

"Whoa, you still fit into an extra small?" Adora looked her up and down as Catra grabbed her shirt from the rack. "You know, maybe it's the size of your hair, but I don't think I realized you were that much smaller than me."

"Ugh, thanks. You sound just like Lonnie now."

"Sorry, sorry! You're not that tiny, really. I guess I fit into an extra small for a while myself, only recently was it too small."

"Yeah, yeah, no need to take it back. I know you've got a solid three and a half inches on me."

Adora paused for a moment, then stared at Catra, her brow raised. "I don't have that much height on you, do I? Maybe two inches tops. Unless.. Unless you're talking about-" She stopped for a minute, staring back at her friend. "Unless… you meant... _here_?!" she stammered, gesturing to her chest.

Catra's eyes went wide. She quickly dropped her gaze. "Uh, no, no I didn't, uh..."

Adora leaned in, narrowing her eyes at her. "Catra, how do _you _know my measurements?"

"I don't! I just, I mean... well, that's because-!" Catra started, then stopped, thinking. Why'd she have to go and say the EXACT amount? It totally gave her away-! Her expression faltered awkwardly. "Because, uhh..."

"I don't believe it, you snooped my files!" Adora shouted, lunging at her – Catra raised her claws defensively, but they both ended up wrestling on the ground. "And to think I just defended you to the others and you were creeping on me this whole time!"

"It's no big deal, Adora, I only looked at a few things super fast-"

"What the hell, you weirdo!"

"Hey, I'm not the weirdo, okay!" Catra yelped, but her cheeks were flushed. "I just… it was there and… I had a good reason!"

"Oh really?" Adora said disbelievingly, narrowing her eyes at the girl she had pinned to the ground. "And what was that? I'm dying to know."

"Just let me up and I'll tell you!" Catra shoved her back; Adora paused for a moment before conceding, folding her arms. Catra sat up, rubbing the back of her neck. "Geez, cut me some slack. You know me, Adora, I'm not some creep."

"If you say so, pervert." Adora stuck out her tongue.

"Ugh-! I'm telling you, it wasn't like that! The reason I looked at your files was 'cause… so… A couple weeks ago, I was getting dressed, and uh, I couldn't find… I couldn't find my, uh…" Catra lowered her head, then muttered quickly, "my bra. So-"

"You know, this wouldn't happen if you just folded your things and put them back properly. I'm just saying. They give us three clean ones at the beginning of each week and you can't keep track of any of them! And maybe if you actually changed in the locker room with the rest of us, you wouldn't go losing them in weird places, either."

"W-Whatever, not the point!" Catra hissed, embarrassed. Growing up Catra had never been body-shy. On particularly hot nights or when the air conditioning wasn't working she'd pull off her shirt in her sleep and throw it haphazardly over the bed. But once they'd been introduced to the topic of "puberty" and "developing" and been fitted for extra small to extra large sports bras, topless Catra was never seen from again. In the morning and evening she'd privately slink off and go change somewhere else away from the others and only shower once everyone else was finished. She didn't fully recognize why she steered clear of the locker room, why taking off her clothes around a bunch of other girls who were taking off their clothes confused her and she hated to be confused, so instead she just avoided the thing that confused her. Surely the Horde didn't talk to them about how to handle their weird teenage feelings for a reason. "Like I was _saying_… So I couldn't find my, uh, you know, so I checked your locker, to uh, to see if you had an extra I could borrow. But-"

"Wait a second! How the hell did you get into my locker? Do you know my code or something?!"

Catra sniffed, grinning and barring a claw. "Do you think there's nothing I can't break into? I don't grow these puppies for nothing."

Adora rolled her eyes. "Right, of course. They call you Catra for a reason."

Catra flashed her another smile, but it quickly faltered again as she went back to her story. "So um, I went into your locker to borrow a… a bra, um, and I put it on and it… uh… it was sorta, like, loose... So I looked and it was a size _small, _not _extra_ small like we normally wear, which weirded me out, but then I realized you must've actually _grown_... And now you're wearing _small_ shirts, too? So, um, so…since when… since when did you grow… _there?!_"

Silence. Catra and Adora just stared at each other for a second... then they both looked away, flushed. Adora coughed.

"Well, we are different heights and all, so..."

"Yeah, I guess we are _now_!" Catra exclaimed. "For years we were always the same! Same height, same weight, same… measurements, everywhere! I could always wear your clothes and they'd fit me! And so I thought, y'know, maybe you just grabbed the wrong size or something, but then when I looked at you, I noticed, uh… I mean, that is-"

"You noticed my- Is that why you kept staring at me last week? You were really looking at my boobs?!"

"No- what?! I never-! _I never did that!_ I just noticed you were taller, okay!" Catra choked – both were a dark shade of red now and neither could look each other in the eye. "Just let me finish! Look, I stopped growing, like, five years ago when we were thirteen-ish. I've been the same since then! But when I saw how tall you were, and I looked at your file, I saw that you only stopped growing last year! What's the meaning of that?!"

"What do you mean what's the meaning of that?! How am I supposed to know why my body grew the way it did?!"

"I just don't get it! What are we so different for? We always did the same things growing up! Ate the same meals, slept at the same times, trained together..."

"Same with Kyle and Lonnie and Rogelio, but they all look way different from us."

"No, they didn't stay up all night with us laughing about how bad that one teacher smelled! And they didn't draw Captain Catra and Awesome Adora comics during class, or sneak up to the roof past hours, or hide weird little stuff we'd find on the ground til we could share it with each other later!"

"...Well, yeah, I'll give you that," Adora said, still confused. "But we were still different in a lot of ways, like, I dunno, you definitely did more jumping around and flipping and cat stuff than me. And sleeping on the end of the bed, all curled up, and you're always climbing stuff-"

"I know, I know! I've got cat blood and you're full human, I get it." Catra jumped to her feet, walking to the wall across from them and leaning against it. "Sure, maybe we came from different beginnings. It's not like we're related or anything. But we're going to end up the same. We have to! We're both gonna stick together and one day we'll be the leaders of this stupid place! Together! That's what you still want, isn't it?

"...Of course," Adora said slowly, cocking her head at Catra. "But what does this have to do with us not looking the same way or being the same size? Why does that matter?"

"I just don't..." Catra sighed, folding her arms tightly. "I just don't like when we're different, okay? It's... weird."

For a minute, Adora stared at her, narrowing her eyes, trying to understand. Obviously, Catra was trying to get at something, and it was so rare that she talked about her feelings, Adora really wanted to make sure she knew. But what exactly was she trying to say… Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. "Oh, I get it."

Catra looked up. "Huh? You do?"

"Catra, you're feeling insecure, aren't you?"

"Wha-? I don't… no, not really," the other girl said, feeling her ears pull back involuntarily.

"Insecure because you feel like things are changing all around you and you're staying the same."

Catra's bunched her shoulders up, looking down. It wasn't like her to feel so vulnerable… but it also wasn't like her to act so vulnerable, even with her best friend. It felt... wrong. But not necessarily a bad kind of wrong. Just a confusing, weird sort of wrong, like when she steered clear of the locker room and didn't know why.

"Insecure, maybe, because you don't want to get left behind?"

Adora stood up from where she was sitting leaning against a pillar, walking towards her friend. Catra's breath caught and she didn't know how to respond, even though she had a feeling Adora was right. Maybe she was hung up on this stupid little thing because at the root of it, there was something more… Adora was close to her then, and Catra suddenly wanted to disappear – she'd already showed more emotion than she'd ever allowed herself to before. That didn't happen in the Horde. Then Adora said,

"Insecure because what you really want... is a bigger set of boobs."

"Y- _What?!_" Catra bristled, totally caught of guard. She hugged her arms over her chest instinctively, quickly turning her body away. "W-WAIT a minute-! That is not-! I didn't-! ...What the hell is wrong with you, Adora-!"

Adora laughed teasingly. "Sorry, Catra, but you were getting too serious on me. That's just not you, I had to. It's weird to see the confident Catra all frazzled over me. You really do care about me, don't you?"

"I don't know what _you're_ thinking about, Adora, but you've got it all wrong-"

"First of all, big boobs aren't all they're cracked up to be. Seriously, if I could go and shrink mine back down again I would. You're lucky yours are small, Catra."

"I already told you, I don't want big-!" Catra started, then stopped herself, still hugging her chest. "And yours aren't-! I mean, they're not! They're not… that… that big… if you're still a size small… I think..." Catra trailed off uncomfortably.

"Bigger than I want them to be. I've got a small waist but I feel like my boobs keep growing. It's hard to tell cause these full coverage bras hide it all, but it's there."

Catra tried to draw her eyes to anywhere but Adora's chest, but it was surprisingly hard to talk about someone's boobs without looking at their boobs. She hoped it wasn't totally obvious how flushed she'd gotten, but she'd always turned red easily and now was no exception. Thankfully Adora was handling this more gracefully than she was.

"Anyways, Catra," Adora finished, leaning against the wall next to her, "I'm sure I'm almost done growing at this point. We're not kids anymore. And you're right, we're not related or anything, we're different people and we don't grow the same 'cause of that. But who knows? Maybe you're not done yet. Maybe you've got another growth spurt coming. Yours is just coming a little bit later than everyone else's."

Catra finally looked back at her, caught Adora's eye and then looked down, shrugging again. It seemed like Adora sort of understood what she was saying. But somehow, this wasn't also quite what she wanted to hear. So then... what did she want Adora to say, anyways? It's not like she could help that she kept growing beyond her. But Catra didn't want to have to grow just to catch up, either. She just wished… nothing ever had to change in the first place. That they never started being different at all.

But obviously, time passed and they grew at separate rates. And somehow, this stupid little separation between them bothered her. Why did it feel like such a big deal? It wasn't, it was just dumb, so dumb… and she wasn't about to let on how much this dumb thing still bugged her.

Catra forced herself to smirk. "Yeah, I guess. Maybe I've got another gross spurt coming. I don't care either way."

Adora folded her arms, nodding. "Right. So, then. Is the mighty Catra done being an insecure little baby?" she teased, slugging her on the shoulder.

"What? Psh! I was never insecure, you're the one who decided that."

"Really? You're not insecure?" Adora said, raising an eyebrow. "Then how come every time everyone else goes to the locker room to change, you go to the stairwell by the roof instead?"

"I-I…" Catra stuttered, totally caught off guard. So she knew it all… did everyone know? _Shit…_ Catra opened her mouth, then closed it again, not sure what to say. Not sure because she didn't really know the answer herself, and she never expected to be put on the spot. "I-I dunno, I guess… uh…"

Sensing she was a little too uncomfortable, Adora decided not to bother her about it. She put her hand on the other girl's shoulder. "Well, never mind that. It's not a big deal. And if you ever come back to the locker room I'll make sure no one gives you any crap about it, okay?"

Catra gave her a look, shrugging her off. "I can take care of myself, you know..."

"Aw, don't be like that. If we're always gonna stick together, you have to let me have your back, y'know?"

Catra stared at her… then sighed. "Fine. Thanks… I guess. Now can we please get out of here already?"

"Sure, sure, I'm ready to go when you are."

The two picked up their shirts off the ground, a little awkward tension still hanging in the air. Catra had to admit, she still felt a little… weirdly uneasy. But she was done talking and thinking about her feelings, she'd already done enough for one day. She cleared her throat and feigned indifference.

"Well, I guess I hope I hit one more growth spurt, anyway," Catra mumbled, as they left the locker room. "It'd be nice to at least hit a hundred pounds, I guess..."

"Hey, ninety-five pounds, a thousand pounds. You'd still be my best friend."

Right. Catra and Adora. They were best friends. And they always would be. So what was this strange uneasiness she felt, like change was coming? No… enough with this emotional crap. Catra shook it off again.

"A thousand pounds? Who do you think I am, Rogelio?" Catra snickered, shoving her away. "Gross, Adora, you act like you like me or something."

"Ew, you're right! I'm the worst! No, actually, you're the worst for sneaking a look at my files without even asking me first!" Adora scolded, licking her palm and wiping it on Catra's face – Catra wiped it off and slapped it back on her. "You're such a perv, Catra."

"Wh- shut up, someone's gonna hear you!"

"I hope they do! Hey, everyone, Catra's a-"

"Knock it off!" Catra threw Adora into a headlock, but they were both laughing now, back to their normal selves. Catra knew she'd been the one to bring it up in the first place, but she was glad the conversation was over. She was ready for everything to go back to the way it was and never bring up anything to do with her emotions ever again… having them in the first place was such a pain. But as long as they stuck together, she knew they'd be fine. Besides, where could Adora possibly go without her, anyways?


End file.
